My neck has been hurting like crazy since yesterday morning and now I also have stomach ache, nausea and fever. In other words, I feel like shit which is great since the theme for Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks this week is political comedies. Without further ado, here are my picks:
Bananas (1971)
When he's dumped by his political activist girlfriend (Louise Lasser), nebbish New Yorker Fielding Mellish (Woody Allen) travels to a tiny Latin American nation and becomes involved in its rebellion. It's one of my favourite Allen movies. I was re-reading the quote and boy they were fun!
In the Loop (2009)
The British Secretary of State for International Development (Tom Hollander) says that a war in the Middle East is unforeseeable and sets off people from both the US and the UK to bring out their pro or anti-war political strategies. It's a nice satire of the world of politics but I didn't love it.
Our Brand Is Crisis (2015)
An American political consultant (Sandra Bullock) is sent in Bolivia to help re-elect a controversial president (Joaquim de Almeida) where she must compete with a long-term rival (Billy Bob Thornton) who is working for another candidate. I don't remember much about this, only that it wasn't as terrible as I thought it'd be.
We match on In The Loop! I haven't seen your other picks. I hope you feel better soon!
ReplyDeleteI feel better already. It much have some a mite flu or something.
DeleteYEY in the Loop! But how could you not love it? :(
ReplyDeleteI don't know, I watched it twice but it just didn't work for me
DeleteAh Bananas. Such a funny film. One of my favorites from Woody Allen. A lot of for In the Loop as I can't believe I didn't think of that.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you share my love for Bananas. I feel like that's such an underrated movie from Allen.
DeleteI love Bananas and another Allen film is Sleeper which would have fit perfectly too. I forgot all about them but glad you talked about Bananas. In the Loop is the clear winner this week but you are the first one not to be enthralled by it. I want to see it now. I don’t remember Our Brand of Crisis at all but I might give it a try
ReplyDeleteI've only seen Bananas which while not anywhere near my favorite Woody Allen was an interesting example of his early more abstract work.
ReplyDeleteIn the Loop is just everywhere this week, so much so that I'm going to make a concerted effort to find and watch it this weekend.
The Sandra Bullock movie came and went in a blink to such savage reviews that I've never felt any great desire to track it down despite liking her alot. I'm sure I'll see it someday.
I like this genre so it turned out to be a pretty easy week to come up with three choices.
State of the Union (1948)-Successful businessman Grant Matthews (Spencer Tracy) is convinced to run for president by newspaper publisher Kay Thorndyke (23 year old Angela Lansbury believably playing a controlling 40ish shrew), his politically ambitious longtime girlfriend. At the instigation of his cynical campaign manager Spike McManus (Van Johnson), Grant and his long-estranged wife, Mary (Katharine Hepburn-who stepped in for Claudette Colbert at the last minute), attempt a reconciliation to increase his changes of a win. But when the idealistic Mary learns of Kay's behind-the-scenes role and sees how the campaign is changing Grant, it throws everything into turmoil. Frank Capra directed comedy/drama is one of Tracy & Hepburn’s best.
The Mouse That Roared (1959)-The Duchy of Grand Fenwick, the world’s smallest country, decides that the only way to get out of their economic woes is to declare war on the United States, lose and accept foreign aid. But things do not go as planned and suddenly it seems they are going to be the victors! What to do now? Cold War satire with Peter Sellers in a trio of roles was followed by the sequel The Mouse on the Moon.
Dick (1999)-Teenage airheads Betsy (Kirsten Dunst) and Arlene (Michelle Williams) accidentally stumble into the middle of the infamous Watergate robbery in 1976. Anxious to keep them quiet Nixon (Dan Hedaya) appoints them honorary dog walkers at the White House. While doing so their innocent actions start a chain of events that may eventually lead to Nixon's resignation as president of the United States.
Hope you feel better soon!
I'm glad you found Bananas interesting. I feel like it is such an underrated Allen film.
DeleteI know of Our Brand Is Crisis but didn't know what it was actually about until now. It does sound interesting.
ReplyDeleteIt is, but it should have been executed better.
Delete